Tooth treatment method

ABSTRACT

After access and debridement of pulp from an infected tooth a piece of permeable, resilient, and physiologically inactive material, e.g., polyurethane, is compressed and inserted in the resulting cavity. When the material is released in the cavity it expands and engages the wall of the cavity, thereby permitting pus and other fluids to flow from the tooth while the material prevents the flow of food particles into the cavity. This decreases the time required for the resolution of the infection in the tooth. Thereafter, the material is removed and the cavity is sealed.

United States Patent [191 Stein Apr. 1, 1975 1 TOOTH TREATMENT METHOD [76] inventor: Lewis Stein, 147-34 Village Rd.,

Jamaica, NY. 11435 [22] Filed: June 4, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 366,668

[52] U.S. Cl. 32/15 [51] Int. Cl A6lk 5/02 [58] Field of Search 32/1, 15, 57; 106/6, 35;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,884,925 5/1959 Meynier, Jr 128/285 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner.1. Q. Lever Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Carlos Nieves [57] ABSTRACT 6 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure TOOTH TREATMENT METHOD The present invention relates to dental methods for maintaining teeth, and in particular to a way of treating teeth having infected pulps.

Currently, teeth having infected pulps are treated according to a method known as root canal. Typically, the root canal method includes the steps of drilling through the enamel and dentin of a tooth until the pulp cavity is reached, removing the infected pulp (debride ment), eliminating the infection, enlarging the root canal, test scaling the root canal, and permanently sealing the root canal. In cases involving infected pulps, nonvital teeth, and acute and chronic periapical areas, after debridement, it is preferred that the canal be kept, temporarily, unsealed to avoid the pain and swelling which frequently accompanies teeth sealed prematurely. Generally, in an unsealed tooth the canal is left completely vacant or a piece of cotton is introduced into it. Both alternatives are precarious in that if the cotton in a tooth is compressed, for example, by food, it impedes or completely stops gaseous and liquid drainage from the tooth, thereby preventing resolution of the infection. Further, in such cases a patient is usually subjected to prolonged antibiotic treatment and/or to a plurality of different antibiotics. The latter is particularly common when teeth in the mandibular premolar region are concerned. On the other hand, if the cotton fallsout or if the canal of the tooth is left vacant, food generally finds its way into the cavity and is packed therein. The packed food causes objectionable tastes, foul odors, supplies bacteria to the periapical region, and is generally accompanied by the drawbacks described above with regard to the compressed cotton. In addition, most patients suffer mentally when told that their tooth must be kept open until its infection is resolved.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a favorable environment for the resolution of an infection in a tooth.

It is another object of the present invention to reduce the time required to heal an infected tooth.

It is still another object of the present invention to eliminate discomforts and obnoxious characteristics associated with infected teeth.

The above mentioned and other objects and features of this invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a tooth whose pulp has been replaced with a permeable and resilient material.

In a dental method, according to the invention, after access and debridement of an infected tooth (see FIG. 1) a permeable and resilient material 11 is inserted, for example, with a college pliers into the access section of the resulting cavity 12. The material, because it is permeable, permits pus and serous exudate to drain from the tooth while preventing the passage of food particles through the material 11 and into the cavity 12. Further, since the material 11 is resilient, if it is cut so that it is larger than the access section of the cavity. when it is inserted into the access section its surface 13 is biased against the wall 14 of the cavity and prevents the passage of food particles along the wall 14 of the cavity. With the material inserted in the cavity, if food is pressed against its exposed surface 15, for example, during mastication by the patient having the infected tooth, the material yields temporarily and, because of its resiliency, pushes the food away when the pressure on the food is released. Thus, food does not tend to compress the material. In addition, since the material 11 is biased against the wall 14 of the cavity, the frictional force thus created does not allow the material to creep out of the cavity 12 during mastication. As a result, a more favorable environment is provided for resolution of the infection in the tooth.

In order to be suitable for the process described, the material must be inert, non-toxic, and capable of being injested without harming the patient treated. One such material is polyurethane foam. Presently, polyurethane is not produced in sizes small enough to be suitable for the process described. However, larger sizes can be cut into suitable sizes. If desired, before polyurethane foam in a suitable size is inserted into an infected tooth it may be cold sterilized, autoclaved, or boiled to insure cleanliness. Alternatively, manufacturers of polyurethane foam can produce it in a size or set of sizes and ship it to a dentist sterilized and in suitable containers, thereby eliminating the need for sterilization by the dentist.

Experiments with polyurethane have shown that foam having a density of about six pounds per cubic foot and a pore size of about 0.20 millimeters is particularly useful because it is not readily compressed by food during mastication and the pores permit drainage. In conducting the experiments, the foam was cut so as to be larger than the section of the cavity into which it was to be inserted, but not so large as to collapse the pores of the foam when in an expanded state in the cavity.

With stubborn infections, the material can be removed to expose the cavity for treatment and after such treatment the cavity can be filled again with another piece of material. After resolution of the infection, a permanent seal may be inserted into the cavity.

Although polyurethane foam has been described as a particularly useful material for treating infected teeth, its usefulness is due to the fact that it is nontoxic, can be sterilized, can be cut into useful sizes, is resilient, and is permeable with respect to fluids discharged by infected teeth. However, other materials having the same properties may be used as substitutes. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the foregoing description has been set forth to illustrate the invention and is not to be construed or interpreted in any way which limits the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A method of treating a tooth in a mouth, the tooth having a cavity extending into the tooth from its surface, comprising the step of lodging a permeable, resilient, and physiologically inactive material in the cavity, whereby fluid can flow from the cavity through the material and the material prevents food particles in the mouth from flowing in the opposite direction.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said lodging is accomplished by compressing the material, inserting the compressed material into the cavity, and releasing the material, thereby permitting the material to expand into engagement with at least an annular section of the'wall of the cavity.

3. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein said material is polyurethane foam.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein said polythe steps of removing the material and permanently urethane foam is of the type having a density which is sealing the cavity. substantially 6 pounds per cubic foot and has pores 6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein said matewith average diameters of 0.2 millimeters. rial is polyurethane foam.

5. A method as defined in claim 2 further including 

1. A method of treating a tooth in a mouth, the tooth having a cavity extending into the tooth from its surface, comprising the step of lodging a permeable, resilient, and physiologically inactive material in the cavity, whereby fluid can flow from the cavity through the material and the material prevents food particles in the mouth from flowing in the opposite direction.
 2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said lodging is accomplished by compressing the material, inserting the compressed material into the cavity, and releasing the material, thereby permitting the material to expand into engagement with at least an annular section of the wall of the cavity.
 3. A method as defined in claim 2 wherein said material is polyurethane foam.
 4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein said polyurethane foam is of the type having a density which is substantially 6 pounds per cubic foot and has pores with average diameters of 0.2 millimeters.
 5. A method as defined in claim 2 further including the steps of removing the material and permanently Sealing the cavity.
 6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein said material is polyurethane foam. 